I was supposed to see the first 2 at a film festival here in Melbourne over the weekend, but got a bit of a shock to find out they had banned the screening, and decided to put on the complete 'Paris Hilton' video instead.

Dont ask me how Guinea pig was banned but an amatuer porno was o.k.

anywho, its peaked my curiousity, and I know they're not exactly critically acclaimed, but thought someone here may be able to shed some light on it.

P.S Some of the freaks that turned up to see the Paris video,

were quite scary. Possibly more disturbing than what the guinea pig shorts would've been.

Like the Paris Hilton video, the two GUINEA PIGs that I've seen are very disappointing. I saw the DVD with THE DEVIL'S EXPERIMENT and the ANDRIOD OF NOTRE DAME and I regret watching either of them. There is nothing to recommend. Starting with THE DEVIL'S EXPERIMENT, the gore doesn't even impress. The thing that stood out for me was the "eyeball" torture, but compared to what Fulci did, the scene is not innovative. Also, the scene was too little too late anyways. I actually shut it off, then came back to it, not because I was unsettled by it but because I was incredibly bored by it. Don't get me wrong, everything that they do to the woman is disturbing, but when you watch the girl's expression on her face, you just know that it is fake. Very rarely thoughout all of the constant, repetitive torture does she react. Maybe aside from one moment, she is carrying the same look on her face from the start. Even AUGUST UNDERGROUND had a boring part here and there, but at least as a whole it moved, from one place to the other. This is the same shit over and over again, and most of it is really badly executed with its horrible camera techniques, the jump cuts, etc.

ANDROID is completely different in tone, seeming as if it isn't related at all to the GUINEA PIG series in any way. It's weird and gory, but not entirely satisfying. Still, a lot better than the DEVIL'S EXPERIMENT crap. FLOWER OF FLESH AND BLOOD is the most infamous one probably, as it is the one that Martin Sheen called the FBI on, thinking it was actual snuff. I heard that this was also the best, so maybe one day I'll check it out but after loathing the two I've seen, I am not in a hurry to see it.

I'm interested in seeing Flowers of Flesh and Blood, Mermaid in a Manhole (both of which, apparently, are available in a single package [Degression: I'm not a big Lucio Fulci fan, but I do rather like two of his movies, City of the Living Dead and Don't Torture a Duckling, both of with I found in Vol. 3 of Anchor Bay's Lucio Fulci collection. I guess I'm just lucky like that.]), and He Never Dies. I'll probably pick those up sometime, but based on the truly awful reviews of the series in general, I'll probably avoid it._________________"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

The same day that Media Blasters releases the two-disc special edition, under the original Italian Zombi 2 title, Blue Underground is also releasing a new edition, under the American Zombie title. It's only a single disc, but I've heard that it will have the same version of the film, same transfer, as the Media Blasters DVD (rumor has it that the two studios worked together on a few things, including the remastering). I'm not a fan of Fulci or the movie, so I don't care about the extras. If I were to buy it (which I probably won't, but might -- it has cinema's only underwater zombie vs. shark battle, after all!), I'd probably pick up the Blue Underground disc because it's cheaper, and I'd probably never watch the extras on the Media Blasters DVD. Links to both DVDs at Amazon.com:

Back on topic, I've never seen any of the Guinea Pig series and don't really have any desire to. I've seen August Underground, but as extreme and painful as it was, at least it had some genuine artistry and talent behind it. Doesn't sound like the Guinea Pig movies have much going for them aside from the shock value (and even that, I hear, is overhyped).

I've never seen any of the Guinea Pig series and don't really have any desire to. Doesn't sound like the Guinea Pig movies have much going for them aside from the shock value (and even that, I hear, is overhyped).

I'm interested in Flower and Mermaid because they're the creations of Hideshi Hino, who is responsible for a manga called Panorama of Hell, which, despite its rather cartoony style, is one of the most honestly disturbing pieces of work I've ever encountered. I'm hoping his outraged genius carries over to the screen.

He Never Dies, on the other hand, just strikes me as damn funny. In fact, I wrote a short story with a similar premise in junior high._________________"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

Panorama of Hell is not a movie, it's a manga, like a graphic novel. Definitely worth picking up if you can find it, and are willing to lay down some serious smackers, since it's out of print and pretty pricy. There's one for sale at Amazon.com for $40 used, if you're interested. Follow this link to check it out._________________"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

Panorama of Hell is not a movie, it's a manga, like a graphic novel. Definitely worth picking up if you can find it, and are willing to lay down some serious smackers, since it's out of print and pretty pricy. There's one for sale at Amazon.com for $40 used, if you're interested. Follow this link to check it out.

Thanks for the link, man. If I can find it cheaper than $40, I'll look more into it. I misread, and I think that manga's are very interesting. I looked at one once and thought it was pretty well-done.

I'd recommend Junji Ito's three volume Uzumaki. If you like the movie, you'll love the manga. Also, one the finest pieces of fantasy I've ever read is Hayao Miyazaki's seven volume manga Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind._________________"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

I'd recommend Junji Ito's three volume Uzumaki. If you like the movie, you'll love the manga. Also, one the finest pieces of fantasy I've ever read is Hayao Miyazaki's seven volume manga Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

Thanks a lot for the recco's. I'd love to check out that NAUSICAA manga, but I just need to see the film first! I have been waiting for the DVD for such a long time now.